Here's a story that would have seemed more at home in 1910 than 2010 - but according to Bloomberg's Kyunghee Park and Eric Sabo, the fight for transporting goods from Asia to the East Coast of the U.S. between the Panama Canal and railroads is back.
Chinese toys and sneakers headed to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. on the U.S. East Coast may bypass Warren Buffett’s $33.8 billion railway as the expansion of the Panama Canal slashes the cost of shipping them by sea.
The new deeper, wider canal will be 30% less expensive to use than railroads shipping from China to the East Coast, according to a Canal executive quoted in the story. At the same time, train operator Burlington Northern's spokesperson is quoted noting that rail shipping across the country is nine days faster.
The article covers the ripple effects of an upgraded canal, potential impact on major business in the U.S., includes quotes from Chinese exporters as well as economists.
It's a great example of finding a story that is just sitting there and giving investors and business operators each information on which to act.
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